Warrior Eevees #1: The Storm of Fire

14- The Meeting

Emmy led the way through the woods with Spark and Flash following close behind. The two Jolteon seemed to trip over every bramble and root, swearing in whispers behind her like she couldn't hear. All three of them carried prey that prevented louder words, thank Arceus. Both Jolteon were disdainful of the forest and sorely missed the plains. Emmy thought that if she had been forced to leave the Forest Tribe for the Plains Tribe, she would likely feel the same, but it didn't ease her annoyance.

The sun was dipping below the horizon now, staining the sky bloodred. Rogue had swept up to them in hunting to inform them that the Sky Tribe had arrived, and that everyone was to meet back in village before flapping off to find one of the border patrols.

Emmy appreciated Rogue's inclusion in Tribe duties, but part of her worried about it. Would Hollyhock get used to having him here? Would she expect them to stay forever? Should they? Emmy had no answers herself.

The scent of the Sky Tribe, a strange mishmash of scents picked up on travels, mingled with the muddy Lake Tribe scent and the dry smell of the Plains Tribe, all saturated through with the now-familiar Forest Tribe's. Emmy picked up her pace when she caught the scent, anxious for the meeting to start. The last night she had dreamed of flickering red light and the smell of smoke, and it had made her very anxious.

"Probably just leftovers from the Sand Tribe attacking," Sycamore had tried to reassure her, although he was obviously unnerved as well.

When Emmy and the two Plains Tribe Pokémon she was escorting stepped into camp, it was an even larger mess than usual. Blue Lake Tribe pelts, yellow Plains Tribe fur, blending together with the brownish tones of the Forest Tribe, now intermingled with purple and black. The clearing was crowded with furry bodies and flashing eyes.

Emmy wormed her way through the crowd to scale the Great Oak, hoping to escape the crush and place her catch in the prey storage. Many of the Forest Tribe members had the same idea, it seemed, because a Leafeon seemed to cling to every branch. Emmy was relieved to find Sycamore and sat next to him, with Rogue perching a branch above of them, shaking out his neck feathers.

From her vantage point, Emmy could now see that Stride, Pearl, and Hollyhock were speaking to Starset at the roots of the Great Oak, all looking very serious. Sycamore leaned forward, keeping his balance easily with his long claws, straining to hear. Hollyhock jerked her head upwards, and Starset made a face. Sycamore snickered.

"Starset just asked where Hollyhock usually speaks from, but Starset doesn't want to climb the Great Oak," he whispered to Emmy smugly. "Talk about knocking the Sky Tribe down a branch- literally!"

Emmy smiled but found her chest too tight with anxiety to laugh. She felt the fur on her shoulders stand up, seeking out the air currents that could tell her what was going on. She thought she could feel the disturbances their breath made when they spoke, but she had no idea how to interpret them into words.

The Sky Tribe leader shook her long ears and eventually was ushered onto a tall stump near the edge of the village clearing. Emmy noticed Dewshine's spotted coat close to the foot of the stump, being pushed out of the way as the other three leaders took a seat below Starset.

Fern, Dogwood, and Azalea trotted into the clearing from their border patrol, and Strong and Loud allowed Hyacinth to guide them to a low branch just above the clearing. No formal call had gone out, but it seemed it was not necessary. Emmy wasn't the only one able to sense the rising tension in the air.

Hollyhock seemed to be taking rollcall, she had risen to her hind legs and was craning her head to see her Tribe. The whole clearing seemed stuffed full, with Eeveelutions hanging from the trees and crowded into the bushes, and the grass of the clearing was barely visible between their mingled multicolored pelts.